Flash lamp for cameras



Nov. 4 1924, 1,513.980

R. E. FROELICH L FLASH LAMP FOR CAMERAS Filed Oct. 2. 1920 Patented Nov.4, 1924.

islaese UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL E. FROELICH, F ST. LOUIS, MIISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TOMARION IE. PARKER, OF WEBSTER GRQVES, MISSOURI.

FLASH LAMP FOR CAMERAS.

Application led October 2, 1920.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL E. FRoELIoH, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and '5 State ofvMissouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in a FlashLamp for Cameras., of which the following is a speciiication.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improvedreloadable or renewable plug which is to be used in connection with theproduction of ashing'or exploding lights.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved removableplug forming part of a flash producing outfit.

A further object of the inventiony is in providing a flash light plugwith a plurality of fusing wires for the purpose of insuringpositiveness in tiring.

A still further object of the invent-ion is in providing an improvedflash light plug of such a character in which means are provided wherebywhen a number of plugs are used in a series, the fusing construction ofeach plug will not permit any one plugv of the series to .create acontrolling arev wherein all of the remaining plugs would be robbed ordeprived of electrical ignition energy.

Other and further objects will appear in the specification and bespecifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings exemplifying 4the invention', and in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the flashingplug and its holder, and showing them attached to a receptacle.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line II-H ofFig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken approximatelyon the Vline III-III of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, this improved device comprises a holder 1which is preferably constructed of insulated material,

and ,formed in said holder is a chamber 2, the bottom 3 of said holderhaving a circular opening 4 formed therein, and formed infsaid bottomand extending from opposing` sides ofv said opening. 4, is a pair ofrecesses 5. Formed in each of the end walls Y6 of saidrholder -is anopening 7, each of j Serial No. 414,305.

"opening 4 ofv the holder 1 is a circularly formed plug l5, which isconstructed of insulated material, and extending from opposite. sides ofsaid plug adjacent the upper end thereof, is a terminal 16, said plugwhen being mounted in the opening 4 being p0- sitioned so as to have theterminals 16 thereof in vertical alinement with the opposing pair ofrecesses 5, so that said terminals can pass through said recesses.Secured to the plug 15 by each of the terminals 16 is an inverted hookshaped member 17, and formed on the upper surface of each of said hooksis a groove 18. The upper end of the plug 15 is countersunk as shownmore clearly in Fig. 3, thereby providing a pocket 19, and in which anannular ridge 20 is formed around said pocket, and formed in Vsaid ridgein oppositcly disposed positions are a pair of grooves 21 each of saidgrooves being in alinement with a respective groove 18 of each of thehooks 17.

Extending upwardly from the pocket 19 of the plug 15 and oppositelydisposed from one another is a pair of projections 22, said 'projectionsbeing located adjacent the ridge 20, and arereach arrangedso as to belocated in equi-distant disposed positions between the pair of grooves21 which are formed vthrough the ridge 20, said projecftions 22 adaptedto extend within the open- .ing 23 which is formed in the upper portion24 of the holder 1, the ridge 20 of said plug 15 adapted to` seataga-inst therunder side of the upper portion 24. See Fig. 1.

rThe primary use of this invention is in connection with iash lamps,although the vprinciple contained therein and more 'particularly inconnection with the plug may be used in connection with other deviceswhere it is required to create powder explosions, in which a suitableholder such as disclosed is required for the peculiar construction ofthis improved plug, which is around the last engaged hook.

removable and reloadable, and in which a number will kbe kept on handready for adaptation in the plug.

in reloading or renewing this improved plug,a fuse wire 25 is engagedand wrappedv over one of the hook shaped portions 17, then the wire islaid in the groove 18 of the hook to which it has been engaged as wellas in the adjacent groove 21 in the ridge 20 from where it is extendeddiainetrically across the pocket 19 into the 0pposite disposed groove 21and the groove 18 of the oppositcly disposed hook 17, the extending endof the wire then being wrapped v Another wire suoli as 26 is thenengaged and wrapped around one of the hooks 17 and entrained ,throughthe groove 18 thereof and adjacent groove 21 of the ridge 20, then saidwire 26 -is led over to one of the projections 22, and after being bentaround said projection ity is led over to; the'second projection 22 fromwhere it is extended Vto within the groove 21 of the ridge 20 whichA isin opposite disposition from the first mentioned groove 21 where saidwire was first engaged and is then engaged within the adj acent groove18 of the second hook 17 where the end of said wire 26 is Secured.

After the plug has been wired or loaded by attaching the fuse wires 25and 26 asv just described, the plug is then ready for introduction intothe holder 1, in which after the terminals 16 of said plug have beenengaged within the respective recesses 5 of said holder, the plug isturned in a right hand direction so that each terminal will engage arespective inclining portion 27 which is formedl on each of they contactmembers 10 and 12, said inclining portions firinlys-ecuring the ridge 2Oof the plug against the underside of the upper portion 24; of theholder, the plug being prevented from further turning by engagement ofthe terminals with the respective stops 14. Exploding or flashing powderis then placed within the pocket 19 of the plug through the opening 28,ysaid opening having access to the receptacle 28 which is secured to saidholder byv screws such as 29.

In Vtheoperation of using a` single plug in a circuit in which the wires8 and 9 are placed in circuit with aneelectrical supply such'as abattery, when the circuitv is closed the fuse wire 25 which is shorterin length than the fuse wire 26 will be; the firstv to begin to burn onaccount of thevelectric current taking the shortest course across thepocket 19 of the plug, and at the instant that said fuse wire -25'begins to burn to the breakingpoint, the electric current will follow`the path of the longer wire 26, thereby fusing immediately after theshorter wire 25 has fused, in which a greater and better v spark;V willbeproduced, thereby guaranteel ing positiveness of ignition to thepowder contained in the pocket 19 of the plug.

TWhen a number of plugs are used in a series in connection with theirrespective holders and' receptacles Vor fiash .plans such as designatedas 28, the conducting or circuit wires 8 and 9 are connected withadjacent plugs,-all ofvvhich form part of an electric circuit, and inthe event that the series of liashes or explosions required are for thepurpose of vproducing aphotographic flashlight said pans are spread outcovering a certainfarea and in which it is essential that all oftheflashes of the series be produced simultaneously.

In this connection when c,

electrical energy is entered into the circuit,

the current will immediately taverse through all the short wires 25, andin ordinary practice each short wire of eachkplug will be simultaneouslyfused,

andv immediately f' thereafter the second or longer wire of each plugvwill take up the load and fuse, both wires of each plug practicallyfusing together, in which a large spark will be created iii the pocketof each plug.

If however a sho-rt wire of. a certain plug i fusedl before the othershort wires of the remaining plugs, the companion long wire of the fusedshort wire will immediately take on and carry the electric load to the:yj remaining other short wires, said companion long wire providingassura-nce for the 'Hashing or exploding 0f the charge of powdercontained above each plug, in which all of the dashes or explosions willbecreatedin j. the circuitv lwithin one five-thousandths part of asecond. Y

A s an illustration yof the necessity of two fuse wires in connectionwith this improved plug in whichy one is longerthanthe other,

assume that only one Wire was used instead of two wires, and a number ofplugs were used in a series, in the event that any wire of a singleplugl fused before the other wires, the fusing of a single wire ahead ofthe other would create an arc of Vsuch a size which would use so muchlenergy from the circuit in which the other wires would notl fuse, andtherefore would be unreliable.

Attention is lcalled to the position of theV vterminals 16 of each plugwhich are located belowthe upper surface 24 ofthe holder 1,

and inasmuch as the ridge 2O of the plug is securely seated against theunderside `of said surface24, a perfectinsulation is provided betweeneach pair ofterminals ofv j In the-usage of a deviceof this character, anumber of loaded plugs are *always` kept on .hand by the operator, andafter a plug. has beenused, the burnt fusewires 25 and the l terminals nof j Y each plug from arcing therearound in the event that a plug orseries of them are placed in a circuit in which a heavy voltage iscarried, partitions such as 31 are provided in the chamber 2, eachpartition at its inner end bearing against the plug, thereby providingan insulation between each of the terminals 16 Within the chamber 2,said chamber being closed on its side by the plate 30.

Wha-t I claim is l. An electric fiash plug having a pair of i'usingWires one of Which is tortuose, a pair of terminals borne by the plug toWhich the respective ends of said Wires are secured, and a holder forsaid plug bearing a pair of contacting members for engagement With saidterminals.

2. An electric flash plug having a pair of fusing Wires, a pair ofcontacting members to which the ends of said Wires are secured, saidWires intermediate of their ends being spaced apart, and a holder forsaid plug bearing contacting means to which the contacting members ofsaid plug are removably connected.

3. An electric Hash plug having a pair of fusing Wires, a pair ofcontacting members borne by said plug to Which the ends of said Wiresare detachably secured, one of said Wires being longer in length thanthe other said Wire.

4. An electric flash plug having means for extending a fuse Wirethereacross, and

other means provided on said plug Whereby a second fuse Wire of longerlength than said other wire can be extended across said plugE inelectric flash plug bearing a pair of electric terminals, a pair of fuseWires extending across said plug, each being con nected at a respectiveend to a respective one et said terminals, one of said Wires beinglonger in length between said terminals, and a holder for said plugbearing a pair of contacting members for engagement with said terminalsof said plug.

6. An igniting instrument comprising in combination a holder bearing apair of electric contacting members, a plug removably secured to saidholder, and a pair of fuse Wires, one of Which is longer than the otherextending across said plug in electrical communication Wit-h saidmembers of said holder and means provided on said plug whereby saidlonger Wire is held tortuose.

7. An igniting instrument comprising in combina-tion, a holder bearing apair of electric contacting members, and a plug removably secured tosaid holder bearing a pair of fusing Wires of different lengths whichare spaced apart from one another intermediate of their connecting ends,said Wires forming a circuit with said members of said holder.

RUSSELL E. FROELICH.

